Hitler's Foreign Policy and Appeasement

When Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933, he began to pursue an aggressive foreign policy aimed at overturning the Treaty of Versailles, rearming Germany, and expanding German territory. The response of Britain and France — a policy known as appeasement — is one of the most debated topics in modern history. This lesson covers Hitler's aims, his key actions from 1933 to 1938, and the policy of appeasement.

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Hitler's Foreign Policy Aims

Hitler set out his foreign policy goals clearly in his book Mein Kampf (1925) and in his speeches. His key aims were:

Aim	Explanation
Overturn the Treaty of Versailles	Hitler called the treaty a "diktat" and pledged to reverse its terms — reparations, military restrictions, and territorial losses
Rearmament	Build up Germany's military forces to make Germany a great power again
Anschluss	Unite Germany and Austria (forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles)
Reclaim lost territory	Bring the Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia), Danzig, and other areas with German populations back into the Reich
Lebensraum	"Living space" — expand eastward into Poland and the Soviet Union to provide land and resources for the German people
Destroy communism	Hitler saw the Soviet Union as Germany's main ideological enemy

Exam Tip: Hitler's aims can be summarised as Reverse Versailles, Rearm, Unite Germans, Expand Eastward. Learn these and be able to give specific examples of each.

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Hitler's Actions 1933–1938

Hitler pursued his aims through a series of increasingly bold steps, each testing the will of Britain and France to resist.

Date	Action	Detail
October 1933	Left the League of Nations and the Disarmament Conference	Signalled Germany's rejection of international cooperation and its intention to rearm
January 1935	Saar plebiscite	The Saar region voted overwhelmingly (90%) to return to Germany from League of Nations control. A propaganda triumph for Hitler
March 1935	Rearmament announced	Hitler publicly announced the existence of the Luftwaffe (air force) and introduced conscription, building the army to 550,000 men — a direct violation of Versailles
June 1935	Anglo-German Naval Agreement	Britain agreed that Germany could build a navy up to 35% the size of the Royal Navy. This effectively condoned Germany's violation of Versailles
March 1936	Remilitarisation of the Rhineland	Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland, which had been demilitarised under Versailles. He later admitted that his soldiers had orders to retreat if France opposed them, but France did not act
March 1938	Anschluss with Austria	German troops marched into Austria. A plebiscite (widely seen as rigged) showed 99.7% support for unification. Britain and France protested but took no action

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The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland (March 1936)

This is considered one of the most important turning points of the interwar period.

Aspect	Detail
What happened	On 7 March 1936, Hitler ordered 22,000 German troops to march into the demilitarised Rhineland
Risk	Germany's army was still weak. Hitler later said the 48 hours after the march were "the most nerve-racking of my life." If France had responded militarily, Germany would have retreated
Why didn't France act?	France was in political turmoil (between elections), unwilling to act without British support, and fearful of another war
Why didn't Britain act?	Many British people felt Germany was only "marching into its own backyard" and that the Versailles terms were unfair. There was no appetite for war
Consequence	Hitler's gamble paid off spectacularly. It strengthened his position at home, emboldened him to take further risks, and showed that Britain and France would not enforce Versailles

Exam Tip: The Rhineland crisis is often considered the last realistic chance to stop Hitler without a major war. Explain why Britain and France failed to act and what the consequences of their inaction were.

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What Was Appeasement?

Appeasement was the policy of making concessions to an aggressor in order to avoid war. It is most associated with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (1937–1940), though the policy had roots going back to the early 1930s.

Arguments FOR Appeasement (at the time)

Argument	Explanation
Fear of another war	The horrors of WWI were fresh in people's minds. Nobody wanted another devastating conflict
Military unreadiness	Britain's armed forces were not ready for war. Appeasement bought time to rearm
Versailles was unfair	Many British people sympathised with Germany's grievances. The treaty was seen as too harsh
Fear of communism	Some saw a strong Germany as a barrier against the spread of Soviet communism
Public opinion	The British public overwhelmingly supported avoiding war. The Peace Ballot (1935) showed strong support for disarmament and the League
Empire	Britain's empire was vast and stretched thin. Fighting a European war would weaken imperial defences

Arguments AGAINST Appeasement (in hindsight)

Argument	Explanation
Encouraged aggression	Each concession emboldened Hitler to demand more
Missed opportunities	The Rhineland remilitarisation could have been stopped easily. Each delay made war harder to avoid and more costly when it came
Morally wrong	Appeasement sacrificed smaller nations (Austria, Czechoslovakia) to buy peace for Britain and France
Hitler could not be trusted	Hitler repeatedly broke his promises. Appeasement was based on the false belief that Hitler had limited, reasonable aims
Weakened alliances	It drove the Soviet Union towards the Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939), as Stalin concluded that Britain and France could not be trusted to stand up to Hitler

Exam Tip: Appeasement is one of the most commonly examined topics. You must be able to present both sides of the argument. Explain why Chamberlain and others thought appeasement was the right policy at the time, AND explain why historians have criticised it. A balanced, well-evidenced answer will score highly.

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Key Figures

Figure	Role
Adolf Hitler	Führer of Nazi Germany; pursued aggressive foreign policy
Neville Chamberlain	British PM (1937–1940); most associated with appeasement
Benito Mussolini	Italian dictator; ally of Hitler from 1936
Anthony Eden	British Foreign Secretary who resigned in 1938 over appeasement

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Key Dates

Date	Event
January 1933	Hitler becomes Chancellor
October 1933	Germany leaves League of Nations
March 1935	Rearmament announced
June 1935	Anglo-German Naval Agreement
March 1936	Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
October 1936	Rome-Berlin Axis
March 1938	Anschluss with Austria

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Extended Worked Paragraph: Q7 "The most important turning point in Hitler's foreign policy between 1933 and 1938 was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland" — How far do you agree? (12 marks)